This one will handle the missing observations.
*** program here
prog drop _all
*! chewfile version 0.9.2 May2009 by [email protected]
* version 0.9.2 May2009 : fixed the empty cells
* version 0.9.1 May2009 : added str import function
* version 0.9 Aug2008 : beta
program define chewfile
version 8.0
syntax using/, [output(string) first(numlist max=1) last(numlist max=1) clear]
local parse ","
if "`first'"=="" & "`last'"=="" {
local first 1
local last .
}
if "`clear'"=="clear" {
clear
qui set obs 1
}
if `"`output'"'=="" {
tempfile dump
local output `dump'
}
tempname fh outout
local linenum = 0
file open `fh' using `"`using'"', read
qui file open `outout' using `"`output'"', write replace
file read `fh' line
while r(eof)==0 {
local linenum = `linenum' + 1
if `linenum'==1 | `linenum'>=`first' & `linenum'<=`last' {
*display %4.0f `linenum' _asis `"`macval(line)'"'
file write `outout' `"`macval(line)'"' _n
if "`clear'"=="clear" {
tokenize `"`macval(line)'"', parse(`"`parse'"')
local num 1
local colnum 1
while "``num''"~="" {
if `"``num''"'~=`"`parse'"' {
cap gen str3 var`colnum'=""
if _rc~=0 {
cap gen str3 var`colnum'=""
}
cap replace var`colnum'="``num''" in `linenum'
if _rc~=0 {
qui set obs `=`=_N'+1'
cap replace var`colnum'="``num''" in `linenum'
}
*local colnum=`colnum'+1
}
else {
cap gen str3 var`colnum'=""
local colnum=`colnum'+1
}
local num=`num'+1
}
}
}
file read `fh' line
}
file close `fh'
file close `outout'
end
*** make data
clear
set mem 333m
set obs 10
gen id=_n
forval n=1/20 {
gen var`n'=uniform()
}
outsheet using test1.txt, replace noname comma
*** import them as strings:
chewfile using test1.txt, clear
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